Both male and female cats can be neutered from 4 months of age. This is before puberty, to avoid any secondary sexual characteristics being developed such as urine marking in the house, or ’calling’.

As male cats mature, they can begin to roam, spray and get into cat fights.

As female cats mature, they will begin to ‘call’ until they are mated. This means they can potentially produce up to 2-3 litters a year. ‘Calling’ can often be seen as the cat showing strange behaviour such as laying down howling as if in extreme pain.

When should I get my cat neutered?

Neutering can prevent and control these behaviours along with controlling the ever growing stray cat population. We recommend neutering males and females from around 5 months of age, ideally before a females first season.

Neutering is a routine procedure involving general anaesthetic but should be able to go home the same day. Females will have a small area of fur clipped on the side of her abdomen, males will not need any hair removed.

Dedicated cat ward

We have our own separate, dedicated cat ward and theatre that are within sound proofed walls, air conditioning and with Feliway diffusers plugged in all day long.

Both male and female operations need a full general anaesthetic.

• The male cats have both testicles removed through a small incision on each scrotal sac, and there are no sutures that need to be removed
• Female cats have an incision on their left flank which will include clipping hair from this area. The ovaries and uterus are removed so there will be some skin sutures that need removing in 10-12 days

If your cat is a colour point breed e.g. Siamese, we can spay with an incision under the abdomen, so that when the hair grows back after being shaved, the temporary colour change is less noticeable.

Most animals go home on the same day of the operation.

We do give a pain relieving injection during the operation. They will also have post-operative pain relief to go home with which will be in the form of an oral liquid. Female cats will need a ’lampshade’ collar or a medical pet t-shirt to stop them licking their sutures.

Should my cats be separated after surgery?

No if… cats of both sexes are neutered or they are the same sex. The only problem may be with females interfering with the wound of the other cat. In this instance it would be better to separate them for at least 7 days.

Yes if … you have both male and female cats in the household and only the male is being neutered. This is because male cats may remain fertile for a couple of weeks post surgery so it is advised that they are kept separate from un-neutered females for minimum of 2 weeks to prevent any risk of unwanted pregnancy.